Associated Industries of Massachusetts recently expressed support for a bill that seeks to strengthen job training for workers with limited English proficiency.

AIM Vice President of Government Affairs Sarah Mills, in written testimony to the  Legislature’s Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development, said the proposal would help to prepare workers not just to speak English, but to use it meaningfully in the workplace — from safety training and technical instruction to customer service and teamwork.

The bill proposes to establish an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) for economic mobility coordinator within the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. The coordinator would be responsible to develop a comprehensive strategy to provide newly arrived workers and those with limited English-language proficiency with the English skills necessary for jobs that are in high demand.

Many AIM member companies provide English-language training to employees at a time when the state continues to experience an acute shortage of workers.

“AIM represents over 3,400 employers of all sizes and across more than 150 industries. As virtually every sector in the Commonwealth continues to face persistent workforce shortages, we urge you to provide a favorable report on this legislation, which seeks to strengthen job training pathways specifically for workers with limited English proficiency,” Ms. Mills wrote to the committee.

“Massachusetts is home to a diverse, multilingual population and a significant share of our workforce is foreign-born. Many of these individuals are highly skilled and ready to work yet face substantial barriers to employment simply because of limited English proficiency. As a result, employers are unable to fully tap into this talent pool, despite the urgent need for workers in nearly every sector of our economy — from health care and advanced manufacturing to hospitality, education, and the trades.”

The ESOL coordinator would work with employers, training providers and others to expanding ESOL programs across the state to enhance economic mobility, increase financial investment in these programs, transition funds towards vocational training as they become available, and utilize community colleges to access federal resources. It also encourages regional cooperation, developing a larger educator workforce, and improving data collection for better research and evaluation.

AIM members with questions or comments on the legislation may contact Ms. Mills at smills@aimnet.org.